Minister for Sport Sussan Ley has welcomed former Olympic and Commonwealth Games swimming medallist and businessman Mark Stockwell to the position of Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Deputy Chair.

“Mark brings a host of skills and experience to the position gained through his roles as a champion athlete, sports administrator and successful business owner,” Ms Ley said.

“Having competed and been successful at the highest level, Mark has a great understanding of how we can most effectively support our high performance athletes to achieve the best outcomes for Australian sport.

“Mark’s business and administrative experience is also vast and impressive having been Managing Director of a successful property development company for a number of years as well as the Chair of Trade and Investment Queensland and previously the Chair of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

“As the recently appointed Minister for Sport, I look forward to working closely with Mark, the Chair John Wylie AM and the entire ASC Board to support Australian sport”.

Mark Stockwell has been appointed to Deputy Chair following David Gallop’s decision to focus on the future of football as CEO of the Football Federation of Australia following six years of service on the ASC Board.

“David Gallop’s intimate knowledge of sport at the coalface over many decades was greatly valued by the Board and Government, and I would like to thank David for his dedication including stints as Deputy Chair and acting Chair,” Ms Ley said.

“I look forward to working with David in his capacity as CEO of Football Federation Australia and one of Australia’s pre-eminent sports leaders”.

Mark Stockwell won two silvers and a bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and was part of Australian swimming’s “Mean Machine”. He is the Chair of the Australian Sports Foundation and has been a member of the Australian Sports Commission Board since June 2014.